Izamal, the Yellow City

Izamal is one of the most atmospheric towns in the Yucatán, and it is often called the City of the Three Cultures for its mix of Maya, colonial and modern layers. It was a major Maya ceremonial centre long before the Spanish arrived, and in the sixteenth century the Franciscans built the Convent of San Antonio de Padua on top of a pre-Hispanic platform. The result is an enormous arcaded atrium, reached by broad ramps, surrounded by yellow-and-white colonnades that glow at sunset. Most of the town was painted yellow in the 1990s in preparation for the visit of Pope John Paul II, and the colour stuck, which gives the streets their distinctive look. Beyond the convent, horse-drawn carriages called calesas clop around the plaza, small restaurants serve Yucatecan food, and several Maya pyramids stand in the neighbourhoods, including Kinich Kakmó, said to be the largest on the peninsula by surface area. Izamal is small, walkable and unhurried, and it is the kind of place that rewards a slow stroll more than a checklist.

What to see: start at the convent, whose gold-plated baroque altarpiece and view over the town from the atrium are the highlights. Walk down to the central plaza and the market, take a calesa ride if you like, and visit one of the Maya pyramids that rise from residential streets, climbing only where it is permitted. Kinich Kakmó is a short drive or a longer walk from the centre and is worth the effort for its scale. Small workshops, hammock sellers and craft shops are scattered through the streets.

Getting there and timing: Izamal is about 70 kilometres east of Mérida, roughly an hour and a quarter by road, and it is on the way to Chichén Itzá, so many day tours stop here for lunch or in the afternoon. The best light is late afternoon, when the yellow walls turn gold, and the town is calmer once the tour groups leave. Walking the streets and the convent atrium costs nothing, though individual sites, carriage rides and restaurants charge their own fees. In the hottest months, go early and carry water.

How to do it: you can drive, take a colectivo or bus from Mérida, or book a private or small-group tour. If you stay overnight, you will have the town almost to yourself in the evening, when the convent is lit. Evening events and festivals occur through the year, and the Pueblo Mágico status means the streets are kept tidy and well signed. Combine it with Chichén Itzá, or give it a half-day on its own as a gentler alternative to a ruin-heavy itinerary.